Harvest Moon: I'll Always Be There
by Muse-of-Love-Chibi-Akemi
Summary: Amy didn't want to work on the farm but after a life changing incident, she'll do anything to prove she isn't a girl to be messed with! FarmerGustafa fic
1. Spring One

**Disclaimer!**

I don't own Harvest Moon or any of it's characters!

* * *

**Harvest Moon**

_"I'll Always Be There"_

**Spring One: Celia, Gustafa and the grim determination**

_Dear diary:_

_Life's been hectic in the city. I haven't been able to concentrate on anything at all. But something interesting happened today. Takakura, my father's old friend, sent me a letter. I had not seen him since the Christmas party last year so I was anxious to know what it was all about._

_He's growing old. He's afraid the farm he runs for my father is going to be in ruin and sold off to be some...well...bad thing maybe? It was my father's dream to have our family run the farm. Takakura knew that besides myself and my half brother Jack, we were the only ones left in the family. Father had died just a few years ago and my mother died when I was fourteen. That was...when I think about it eight years ago._

_I had my doubts at first sure. I really did not want to go. Takakura asked me to take care of the farm. Of course I asked him about Jack. Well, it turns out Jack is running our grandfather's farm outside of Mineral Town. In the end I had told Takakura I would think about it._

_I liked my life in the city. I had a very good husband who provided for me. I was just the wife he came home to. But...That day he came home I noticed something strange. He smelled...funny. I never wore perfume before in my life and he smelled of it! It wasn't his cologne that's for sure! He confessed to cheating but told me...He told me that I was just a someone to make him look good! He just spilled it! I fought back. We fought. It hurt. Oh god did it ever hurt so much!_

_At my friend Julia's house, I contacted Takakura and agreed. I would go to Forget-Me-Not Valley and run the farm! Just as soon as the divorce is through. But, I told him, there is one thing he should know. I am never going to get married again!_

* * *

Amy looked around the town of Forget-Me-Not Valley. She inhaled the fresh air and let it out in shock. It was so clean! So unlike the city! I might even like it here, she thought, just as long there aren't people here like that damn James. Running a hand through her brown hair, she picked up her duffel bag and walked down the hill. 

The first place she noticed was two small houses near two greenhouses. "Another farm?" she asked herself and came to a near panic. "You can't be telling me I have competition!"

The building closest toherhad its door open. Out stepped a rather large woman who wore a tan apron and a bright yellow shirt. Her orange hair was tied into a curly ponytail. Amy could tell from her hearty laugh that she was the woman of the house and not someone to mess with. Next came out a girl of Amy's age, as far as she could tell. She wore a green blouse underneath a brown dress. Her long chocolate brown hair was worn down and straight underneath an orange-yellow handkerchief was it? Amy had never seen it before.

Now here was the problem. The next person to step out was a man approaching his thirties. He wore a long white t-shirt and blue jeans. His hair was black and curly like the heavy set woman's but was kept reasonably short. Amy felt her heart skip a beat then shook her head. I've got to concentrate, she thought, go down there and introduce yourself! Maybe they'll point you in the right direction?

Taking a deep breath, Amy made her way toward them. Looking around she sighed enviously. Was her farm going to end up looking like this one day? Interrupting her thoughts was the voice of the young girl.

"Can I help you with anything?" the girl's voice was soft and almost lyrical. Amy snapped out of her thoughts and turned to the girl. "I've never seen you here before. Are you new? Running the farm maybe? My name is Celia, what's yours?"

Amy blinked swiftly at the number of questions being asked. "Umm, to answer...Could you help me find Takakura? Yes I'm new. Yes I'll be running the farm and my name is Amy."

Celia smiled widely and shook Amy's hand. "Pleasure to meet you Amy! Let's see…" She pointed over to the older woman who was busy watering plants. "That's Vesta, she runs the farm here. We only sell vegetables, no milk or anything that comes from animals. And…" she pointed to the young man and then started to wave him over. Amy blushed brightly, trying to remember her vow never to marry.

"And this is Vesta's younger brother Marlin! Marlin, this is Amy. She's the one that's going to take over that farm! Er, what was its name?" asked Celia who looked back over at Amy.

"I don't know…I was thinking of something like Rosebud but I really haven't seen it yet so I don't really know." Amy confessed, blushing more. I must sound dumb to this guy…wait, why would I even care?

Marlin looked at Amy and smiled. Lightly, Amy wondered if he forced it or not. "You'll get used to the whole farming idea." He told her before walking off, his hands in his pockets. "I got used to it."

Celia smiled to Amy and took her hand. "I'll show you around all right?" she asked. Amy nodded. Celia looked to Vesta and waved to her. "I'll be back! I'm showing the new girl around!"

"Hurry back now." Vesta told Celia and bent back down to examine the seedlings.

Celia laughed and ran off, tugging Amy along with her. They stopped at the bridge over top of the small creek. She pointed north to a tent. "Carter, the archeologist, and his assistant Flora live in that tent together. They have an excavation site there and are always willing to have some extra help!"

Amy continued to follow Celia. She pointed down at a colorful yurt and grinned to herself. "A traveling bard named Gustafa lives in that Yurt. He's been here for…well…it's been awhile that's all I remember." Celia placed a finger on her lips and cocked her head to one side in thought.

"If he's a traveler then why hasn't he left?" Amy asked, confused that a traveling bard would…not travel.

"He says he likes the atmosphere here. And it may have something to do with one of the other villagers. But…" Celia looked away sadly. "That's another story…"

"Well? What story?" Ashamed of herself, Amy closed her mouth. "Sorry I shouldn't intrude."

"You'll see sooner or later. You're his cousin though, am I right? I can see the resemblance." Celia asked Amy, looking at her closely.

"You mean Jack? Yeah, we do kind of look like each other but that's because we're half-sister half-brother." Amy laughed a little bit. "We share the same father."

Soft guitar music filled the air then. Amy's ears picked the sound up and she turned around in different directions trying to find out where it was coming from. A man sat underneath the tree by Gustafa's yurt. He wore a reddish-brown and yellow shirt with a brown vest and his pants were a loose fitting tan. Dark sunglasses hid his eyes and he wore a very odd floppy green hat with a flower tied on to it. His hair was a reddish brown and his face was unshaven and stuck out intoa goatee.

"Who's that?" Amy asked. "The way he plays that guitar...it's so..." She had to stop herself because her blushing had started to occur again. Celia laughed as Amy turned away embarassed.

"That would be the one and only Gustafa." Celia answered her. Gustafa looked up at them and at the sight of a newcomer, waved them over. Celia once again took Amy's hand and walked over to him. "Good morning Gustafa! Lovely day isn't it?"

Gustafa looked up at the sky and all around him, fingering one note on his guitar. "I would have to agree. Spring is one of my favourite times of the year. Clear skies, not too hot of a sun, not to mention the smiles on everyone's faces."

"This is-"

"Amy!" she blurted out her name and then closed her mouth, her blush once again returning. Dummy...she thought to herself, if I keep doing this when I see men I'm gonna have to barred myself in the farm and never leave!

Celia looked at Amy surprised and then to Gustafa who appeared to be observing Amy. At least that was what she could tell for all she knew he could be rolling his eyes behind those glasses. "Are you the new farmer? The one that's going to take over for Takakura?" he asked.

Amy nodded silently, her hands still covering her mouth. Gustafa smiled and reached out, taking one of her hands and shaking it. "That makes me very happy. I want to see flowers blooming and vegetables sprouting. Shouldn't forget the animals now should I?" Amy shook her head, agreeing with him.

"Well, I'm sure we'll meet again. You are staying here for a long time right?" he asked her. Amy tried to think of an answer. Would she?

"I..." she squeaked. Damn, Amy thought, how is this so hard? You've talked to guys before! Even that Marlin guy back there! Why would Gustafa be any different? Besides, you've just met him! "I..."

Celia placed her arms on Amy's shoulders, drawing her back. "Amy's very shy. But don't you think it's a little bit too soon to be asking such a question? You never know, she may want to go back to the city?"

"No!" Amy shook her head, trying to drive away the memories of the city. "No way! I'm never going back! Not back there...No way..." Her shoulders shook as she stared at the ground. "Celia, I just want to go home to the farm. Can you show me...?"

"Celia needs to get back to her farm," Gustafa noted looking over at a frantic Vesta waving her arms toward them. "I'll look after Amy, Vesta's going to throw a fit if you aren't there."

The brunette nodded and gave Amy a small hug before heading back home. Amy looked to Gustafa, her face red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry." she apologized. "Just too many..."

Gustafa smiled to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I won't ask, but feel free whenever you wish. I'm just down the hill from you." Amy nodded, showing him she was listening despite her looking away.

"Thank you." she managed to choke out. They walked further up the hill and Amy was greeted by an amazing sight of splendor. It wasn't just a dirt haven, the farm looked like an actual farm! She rushed ahead of Gustafa and gazed around. "There's an actual pasture! My own house!" Her heart leaped in excitement as she stood up on the fence. "I can see a couple of fields but no animals...Looks like I may have to buy some..."

She jumped back down and turned to look at Gustafa. Ignoring the blush on her face, she walked up to him and bowed. "Thank you for bringing me here. If there's any way I can repay you feel free to ask!"

Gustafa shook his head. "Maybe a free taste of milk or a vegetable or two. Mind you, I'm not particulary fond of tomatoes. Deal?"

Amy smiled widely and hugged him tightly, shocking him. "Of course it's a deal! Actually it's not just a deal! Maybe...maybe..." She jumped back and shook his hand. "Umm...Yes, anyway. Thank you!" Amy did all she could to look away from the older man's face.

"I have to get started right away! You know Gustafa...to some people, the farm is born again." Amy mused a little out of her excitement. "To me, I'm born again. You know what I mean?"

"As a musician, yes I do. Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Gustafa turned away and waved to her as he set off back to his yurt.

Amy felt her heart beat wildly beneath her chest. "Not going to get married." she reminded herself, walking towards her house. "At least I think so..."

* * *

A/N: Please read and review! This is a test for me to try and cure myself of this infatuation with a certain character. If it works, I know what to do if it happens again. If not...well...damn...Please point out to me if I missed any spelling or grammar mistakes. I was using wordpad...Damn wordpad. 


	2. Spring Two

**Harvest Moon:**

"_**I'll always be there."**_

**Spring Two: Adjustments, A New Shining Me!**

_Dear Diary:_

_Well I made a fool of myself today! I mean, I'm the one that's going to take care of the farm right? I must have looked so stupid when I told him that I knew nothing of planting seeds. I might as well just put myself on plate and serve it to him with the note "**Foolish city girl needs help. Help her or she'll go crazy.**"_

* * *

"Amy? Amy…Amy! AMY!"

Brown eyes flew open. The farmer sat up and looked around the room. "Where…Where am I? Who are you? What's going on?" she asked quickly. Takakura stared at her as if she was a barn animal switched to different farms.

"You're at the farm. I'm Takakura. You're going to bring this farm back to life. Sound familiar?" he asked as he crossed his arms.

Amy blushed brightly. How could she have forgotten? She had promised to Gustafa that she would bring the farm back to its former glory. Then there was Celia. Oh! Celia was the sweetest girl she had ever met! So different from regular city girls, it shocked Amy to meet someone like Celia.

Of course there was Marlin. The man who sent chills up her spine and a healthy blush to her cheeks. Was her face reddening just thinking about him? Amy covered her cheeks in case Takakura saw them blush more. "Right." She said to him, now rubbing her eyes of the sand. "You're right, I have to this whole farming thing right now…"

Takakura sighed to himself and shook his head. "Are you absolutely positively sure you want to be a farmer?" he asked her. "It's not a farm thing as you so kindly placed it. It's about being a hard worker and loving the farm as if it were your ownchild."

Amy blinked, staring at Takakura confused. A smile came to her lips and she laughed a little. "My apologies Takakura, I didn't know the farm means so much to you. I'll tell you the same thing I told Gustafa. I promise, I'll bring this farm back to life! No, it's not just a promise it's a vow!"

"I'll believe it when I see it start to happen." Takakura muttered and walked to the door. "The tools are in the shed and I bought a cow for you just before you came here. I'm warning you, she's only good to milk for three months then you'll have to impregnate her."

Amy's jaw nearly dropped to the floor as Takakura left. Im…Impregnate a cow? How was she going to do that? Would she have to buy a bull or something? Slapping her face, she shook it slowly. "What have I gotten myself into…?" she asked herself, not expecting an answer.

* * *

"Now which tools do I need?"

Amy stared at the display of tools Takakura had for her. "These things are rusty.." she commented. Taking a deep breath, she blew a good amount of dust off the tools. "Takakura must be really too old to work here. These haven't been used for god knows how long!" the farmer commented.

"Well, I mightas well till some ground!" Amy said to herself cheerfully as she picked up the hoe. Her eyes widened as she fell to the ground. Wincing a little, she glared at the hoe with an intensity to rival that of a bull. "How heavy are you!" she shrieked. "How am I going to till the ground if you're so freakishly heavy?"

Getting up, Amy dusted herself off. The overalls she had decided to wear overtop a black t-shirt were already dirty now. And they'll only get worse, she thought dreadfully. Picking up milker and the brush, she decided that the least she could do was care for her cow.

Amy walked briskly to the barn. Opening the doors, she was greeted by an angry loud moo. The cow, reaching Amy's shoulder height was standing beside the fodder chute. Hearing the farmer walk in gave the cow someone to moo at angrily. There was no fodder in its tray! What kind of injustice was this for the cow? The cow was simply not happy! First day on the job and you're on my bad side was probably what the bovine was thinking.

Cautiously, almost aware of the aura of anger that surrounded the cow, Amy went to the fodder chute. To teach the farmer not to mess with her, the cow swiftly bit her hand. Not hard enoughto seriously damage it, but not too soft that she would easily forget. Amy shrieked and jumped away from the cow. "You! You!" she stuttered for words that would not form. Was the cow smiling? "I guess you should get a name…" Amy grumbled. "How about Grouchy?"

The cow went to bite her again but Amy was prepared this time. Quickly, she took some fodder and switched her hand for the bovine's meal. The cow munched on it contently as Amy reached for her brush. Slowly, she brushed the cow and it seemed as if she liked it. Maybe things will work out, she thought, now how about some milk?

Taking out several bottles and the milker from her pack, Amy silently made her way under the cow. "Eww…" she commented. The cow had heard this though and the second Amy tried to touch the cow's udders it kicked the bottle. Amy cried out in surprise and stood up. "Stupid cow!" she screamed as she ran out of the barn.

"Stupid cow?"

Amy skidded to a stop. Gustafa stood with his arms crossed, looking at her with concern. "Well…I'm just having a very good beginning…" Amy muttered more to herself than to the bard. "Why is it so hard?" Her fists and teeth clenched uncomfortably tight.

"In the beginning, everything is hard. Farm life will take some getting used to." Gustafa explained to her gently. "By the way, are you going to plant anything?"

Amy's eyes widened. She snapped her fingers and frowned to herself. "I need seeds…" she muttered. "That means I'll have to go to…"

"Vesta's, good woman Vesta is. She and her brother live there along with Celia. A bit of trivia for you." Gustafa grinned to her, which helped to make Amy feel less stressed. "May I guide you there?"

Amy nodded her head. "Sure! Company in a town where I don't know much of is always welcome. But then again, you're still a stranger almost." She laughed lightly as they started to walk to the other farm.

* * *

The scent of spring filling her mind, Amy smiled widely as she walked beside Gustafa. There was just something about the musician that made her mindjust melt. Or was she being giddy? Maybe she was infatuated? Either way, the presence of Gustafa allowed her to be at least comfortable around someone whom she was even more infatuated with.

Marlin!

Oh crap! Amy's mind filled with sudden excuses to bail out on Gustafa. She forgot to feed the cow! She forgot to till the ground! She forgot the rest of her excuses! She forgot the rest of her good excuses! Oh dear goodness, she forgot her head at home!

"Amy?"

Gustafa looked at Amy again with the same concerned face that he showed her before. "Are you feeling all right? Are you sure you're up for this kind of challenge?" To increase the already blushing red face on her, Gustafa laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm fine!" she assured him. "Trust me! There's nothing to Marlin about!" Gustafa, though she couldn't tell, blinked confused.

Her hands covered her mouth as they stood on the bridge. "Nothing to worry about is what you mean?" he asked with a smile to ease the tense atmosphere.

Both were silent as they continued the walk to Vesta's farm. Once there, Amy fought the urge to hide behind Gustafa as they were purchasing seeds from Marlin. The bard did most of the talking for her, the shyness getting the better of Amy.

* * *

"You're crushing on him aren't you?"

Amy's eyes snapped open. Did she almost fall asleep walking? Looking to Gustafa she frowned lightly. "I'm not crushing on him! Such an immature word." She remarked, folding her arms across her chest as they walked.

Gustafa lightly smirked knowingly. "I've seen it before. It's quite funny to see it again. " He commented. "Now how about we go planting these seeds?" he asked as they arrived.

"Umm…Gustafa…"

"Oh? Something the matter?" The bard turned to the shorter farmer.

Amy looked to the ground, a huge blush on her face. "I don't know how to plant seeds!"

"Ah…not good…" Gustafa remarked, tapping his chin with his finger. "Suppose I teach you?"

The next thing Amy knew, she and Gustafa were in the garden. He explained to her the depth to which to plant the seeds and how much water they needed. The hoe was still heavy for Amy to pick up so both gripped onto the handle hard and tilled the land. This brought a smile to Amy's face. It was like two people were building a foundation for the future.

"Thank you so much Gustafa! I learned so much today! How do you know so much about planting anyway?" she asked curiously.

Gustafa chuckled lightly. "You don't go around traveling without learning the basics." He explained. "Suppose I show you around the village tomorrow?" Gustafa asked her.

Amy nodded. "Yeah, sure thing. I need to socialize more!" she said with a smile.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for being so late! But hey, it probably...not it wasn't worth the wait. But I take pride in being the only Farmer/Gustafa fanfic out there! So nyah! 


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